Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

USA: How Does Street Harassment Change Your Daily Behavior?

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Libby Allnatt, Phoenix, AZ, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

There’s nothing quite like wearing an outfit again for the first time after you were catcalled while wearing it. While street harassment is obviously not about clothing (if it was then women wearing modest or traditionally “unsexy” clothing wouldn’t get harassed, and they do), it can be easy to attach feelings of violation and disgust to the shorts or a top or skirt or dress you were wearing when someone decided to encroach upon your safety and rights as a human.

It can also be difficult to return to places where one was once harassed. That street, that intersection, that park will always be filled with the voices of the ill-mannered, the sexist, and the violent that not-so-silently dot our neighborhoods.

According to Stop Street Harassment’s 2014 statistically significant national survey, street harassment caused 47 percent of women to constantly assess their surroundings. Four percent of all harassment victims made bigger decisions as a result of harassment, like moving neighborhoods or quitting a job.

An informal study by Cornell University and Hollaback! showed that 85 percent of women have taken a different route, 73 percent of women took different forms of transportation, and 70 percent avoid going out at night, all to avoid street harassment.

I personally know how taking public transportation in my city is more arduous than just buying a ticket and hopping on the train. I avoid it if I can, avoid taking it at night, and stare out the window in silence praying that no one speaks to me. I tug my skirt down to cover my legs and clutch my keys. I avoid the bus altogether because of what I’ve heard happen to my peers on there.

What makes me the saddest is the look of panic I see in others’ eyes when a girl says she’s walking home. “Text me as soon as you get there,” they plead, horrific possibilities on everyone’s minds but left unsaid.

“I wanted to go, but I also didn’t want to walk home that late,” is another frequent statement I commonly hear (and say myself) when women are discussing why they avoided a particular event or outing.

Male friends of mine have offered to walk me places at night if they know I’m going somewhere on my own. I always decline, and I’m both reassured by their willingness to help and sad because this is our reality.

Street harassment has emotional and psychological damage, as sexualization of girls and women can lead to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. It makes leaving our homes feel less safe.

Anyone who has been harassed and gone home shaking knows this feeling. Anyone who been harassed on the way to work or school and has to shake it off and act like they didn’t just feel scared for their lives knows this feeling.

Because it’s never just a catcall. It always has the potential to escalate to something much worse, because it has.

My female friends and I adorn our keychains with colorful and sparkly pepper spray, as we try and pretend they’re accessories rather than self-defense weapons. Much to the dismay of my loved ones, I often leave my pepper spray at home. A part of me doesn’t want to admit that we need to be armed to move about in public spaces lest we become another victim, another statistic.

Surely many men often feel frightened at night as well. Many forms of crime, like robbery and assault, don’t discriminate based on gender. But the reality is that sexually-charged threats to bodily autonomy are a different animal to navigate, and usually reserved for women. I don’t know many men who tremble when they hear a shout on their walk home. I don’t know many men who grip their keys between their fingers, trying to determine if they would be capable of gashing out the eyes of someone twice their size if they had to. I don’t many men who alter their daily lives because catcalls, gropes, stalking, and rape are genuine possibilities.

While caution should not be thrown to the wind (I will continue to get the hell out a place where someone is making me feel uncomfortable, and perhaps I will swallow my pride and start carrying my pepper spray), I feel disgusted at a world where women have any burden to bear that men do not.

The other day, I returned to a spot where I was harassed that I had been avoiding for some time. I sat. I took up space. I enjoyed the world around me – the air, the sky, the birds, the city. I won’t let harassers keep me inside, and you shouldn’t either.

Libby is a student at Arizona State University. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, she is majoring in journalism with a focus on print and she is minoring in psychology and women’s studies. You can follow her on Twitter @libbyallnattasu and Instagram @LibbyPaigeA.

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The “Sexist” Seat on Mexico City’s Subway

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Via The Pool:

“A new campaign hoping to tackle sexual harassment in Mexico has introduced a ‘sexist’ seat on the metro exclusively for men – complete with chest and penis. The seat was created to make men feel as uncomfortable as women on public transport and, judging by the accompanying video, it worked. Men are seen to consciously avoid sitting on the seat, or sitting on it without realising, only for them to quickly jump up and move. In front of the seat is a message to men, reading, ‘It’s uncomfortable to sit here, but it doesn’t compare with the sexual violence that women suffer in their everyday lives.’ The anti-harassment message has since gone viral, with the hashtag #NoEsDeHombres.”

I was in Mexico City a few weeks ago for the UN Women Safe Cities Global Leaders’ Forum and we heard from many Mexico City leaders, including the mayor, about their efforts to make public places safer for women. What struck me was that nearly every effort they discussed, such as women-only transit options and the distribution of thousands of whistles, put the onus on women to try to stay safe. What I appreciate about the “sexist” seat is that the message is directed at men. While no, the seat by itself is not enough to change the cultural norms that allow sexual harassment to occur, I think it is an example of a unique and attention-grabbing way to start discussions with men about sexual harassment in public spaces and why men must help stop it.

That said, would-be harassers are not the only ones who ride the subway and consideration should be made for survivors of sexual assault and others who could be upset by it.

UPDATE: I did an interview for BBC News on this initiative.

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Statement of Support for Jordyn Haime

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Image via The New Hampshire Digital

Jordyn Haime, a University of New Hampshire (UNH) undergraduate student, conducted a local street harassment survey among her peers and shared quotes and stats from it in a display on campus (with support from the campus sexual assault dept.) and it was going to be up for International Anti-Street Harassment Week. But campus administrators had it taken down within hours because the language was “offensive” (e.g. what street harassers said). You can read more here and read Jordyn’s great op-ed.

When I reached out to offer help, one thing suggested was for SSH to write a statement in support of Jordyn. Last night, the SSH board of directors drafted this statement.

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR JORDYN HAIME

Stop Street Harassment (SSH) applauds Jordyn Haime, a University of New Hampshire (UNH) undergraduate student, for her recent campaign about gender-based street harassment.

Her campaign began with documenting the street harassment experiences of her classmates and peers through conducting a survey. The results of this survey were powerful in revealing that the rate of street harassment locally was similar to that nationally.

Ms. Haime’s next step, taken with support from the campus Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program, was to share quotes from the survey — quotes detailing the real life experiences UNH students endured — in a display on campus alongside statistics, facts and resources. This is commendable. Sharing stories, engaging in public education and raising awareness efforts are crucial steps to take toward creating community-driven and localized solutions for safe public spaces.

If people were offended by reading the street harassment stories, imagine what the person who was targeted felt when she or he experienced it first-hand. How can we work to stop these comments from being spoken if we try to hide that they are said at all? Instead of censoring campaigns to raise awareness about street harassment — an issue that, as Ms. Haime says, she and others normally regard as something that “just happened to them” — the administration should celebrate one of its student’s efforts to bring attention to such an important issue.

Street harassment is offensive. It is deplorable. It is uncomfortable. It can cause real emotional harm and even pose health risks when it’s extreme and/or repeated. It is a human rights violation and a form of gender-based violence. But this does not mean we should ignore it or that it is too controversial to discuss.

SSH supports Ms. Haime and anyone else who works to bring attention to the issue of street harassment, especially when those efforts are done in such a thoughtful, measured, and well-researched manner.

Signed,

SSH Board of Directors
March 30, 2017

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“Look at this fine piece right here”

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Today was not the first time I’ve had to endured catcalls during the day. Once a guy yelled from his passing car, “I’d pay for it!”

Another time, a guy stepped in my path to shout, “Look at this fine piece right here.”

Some men have made catcalls to me while I was in the passenger side of my sister’s car.

A drunk guy on a bus full of people told me that my lips were beautiful, that I looked like I had soft hands and he started grabbing my hands.

However, today was one of the most embarrassing moments I’ve endured. I was walking up Warren Road toward Downtown Lakewood. I got to a section near Madison Ave. where cars start to line up as they wait for a series of traffics and stop signs. I was dressed warmly with a fleece jacket, thick scarf and sunglasses. Suddenly I began to hone in on the yelling, whistling, and howling slurs from a red SUV as it curved the street. “…you sexy bitch.”

I yelled back for him to F&%$ Off and die. As I continued walking the curve, I was in his sights again. He continued with, “Put you in some designers, Mmm,” I retorted that I hoped he dies in a fiery car crash then flipped him off. He continued to yell more things and laughed, but most of it was muffled by my scarf being close to my ears.

Before the car went down another curve in the street he shouted more inaudible words that ended with him yelling “…Bitch!” The street still continued with the line of bumper to bumper traffic, the whole line of cars were stopped. I started to walk slower in the hopes that I wouldn’t catch up again. I was angry and embarrassed, but I held back my emotion while I reached for my pocket knife for comfort. The worst part was that he was the passenger, meaning the driver was okay with what he was doing in their car. I wonder if any of the other drivers notice or cared. There were about 30 cars in the line. When I came past the next curve, the SUV was gone. I had to keep walking to Panera while feeling the way I felt. An hour later I was still upset and returned home. My sunny day was ruined.

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

I’m not sure. I wish I had thought to write down the license plate so I could file a harassment charge at the Lakewood Police Department. Maybe they would get a ticket.

– Alexandria DeJesus

Location: Lakewood, OH, U.S.

Need support? Call the toll-free National Street Harassment hotline: 855-897-5910

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for ideas.

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These are Our Streets, Too!

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We’re just four days out from International Anti-Street Harassment Week! Groups in 36 countries have signed up to take part. There are plenty of ways individuals can join, too. Here are a few ideas. These are our streets, too, let’s demand SAFE public spaces!

Transcript:

The right to be in public spaces safely, without fearing harassment, is one that people all over the world are routinely denied, and that is not okay. I hope you can join us from April 2 to 8 for International Anti-Street Harassment Week as people and groups all over the world take a stand against street harassment and speak in favor of safe public spaces. You can join workshops, rallies, sidewalk chalk writing parties, flyering and tweet chats. You can learn more by visiting www.meetusonthestreet.org or www.stopstreetharassment.org. Thank you.

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